Bucket elevator and feed means therefor



y 6, 1952 H. H. TALBOYS 2,595,312

BUCKET ELEVATOR AND FEED MEANS THEREFOR Filed Feb. 2, 1949 2SHEETS-SHEET l will! H" .mlllll J fargzgya May 6, 1952 H. H. TALBOYSBUCKET ELEVATOR AND FEED MEANS THEREFOR 2 SHEETS-SHEET 2 Filed Feb. 2,1949 Patented May 6, 1952 BUCKET ELEVATOl t AND FEED MEANS THEREFORHenry H. Talboys, Milwaukee, Wis., assignorto Nordberg ManufacturingCompany, Milwaukee, Wis., a corporation of Wisconsin ApplicationFebruary 2, 1949, Serial N 0. 74,193

6 Claims. (Cl. 198-98) My invention relates to an improvement in ballasthandling mechanism and has for one purpose to provide a ballastscreening assembly.

Another purpose is to provide a ballast screening assembly which mayreadily be accommodated on a single car and which is of relatively lightweight.

Another purpose is to provide a ballast screening assembly with simple,compact and efficient means for receiving dirty ballast, for returningcleaned ballast to the right-of-Way, and for disposing of the fines andforeign material.

Another purpose is to provide an improved elevator for use withscreening equipment.

Another purpose is to provide an improved assembly for removing thescreened fines from the railroad right-of-way.

Other purposes will appear from time to time in the course of thespecification and claims.

I illustrate the invention more or less diagrammatically in theaccompanying drawings wherein:

Figure 1 is a vertical partial longitudinal section through the unit;

Figure 2 is a horizontal section along the lines 2-2 of Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a vertical section along the lines 3-3 of Figure 1.

Referring to the drawings, I generally indicates the rails of a track,upon which the belowdescribed screening unit may move. 2 generallyindicates the lower portion of a car frame, which may includelongitudinal and transverse elements, not separately identified.Upwardly extending from the base frame 2 of the car are a plurality ofvertical structure members or supports 3, which are shown as connectedat their upper ends by transverse channels or ele ments 4. The lower carframe 2 may be suitably supported on the rails I. I illustrate, however,suitable rail engaging wheels 6.

Referring to Figure 1, illustrate diagrammatically a multi-deck screenassembly generally indicated at A, the details of which do not ofthemselves form part of the present invention. I may, for example,employ vibratory screens which may be vibrated by any suitable vibratoryrotor or rotors, not herein shown.

It will be understood that the herein described and shown ballastscreening assembly may be used to process dirty ballast. Such ballastmay be excavated by hand or by suitable mechanical equipment and may, bymeans not herein shown, be fed to the screen assembly A.

Beneath the screen assembly A is the endless conveyor 40, which ispositioned and adapted to receive the fines which pass through thescreen assembly. The endless conveyor 48 passes at its ends aboutsuitably driven rollers 41. 45 indicates any suitable bottom supportingrollers mounted on the conveyor frame or support 46, which extendslongitudinally of the unit and which may rest upon the bottom car frame2.

It will be understood that the oversize is eliminated by the screenassembly A and delivered where desired, whereas the fines pass to theleft along the endless conveyor 40, referring to the position in whichthe parts are shown in Figure 1. The fines are received in a suitablehopper, box or pan 41, into which extends the below described elevator.

The hopper, box or pan 4! is shown as rotatably mounted. It may, forexample, have a circumferential bottom track 43 surrounded by a fixedtrack 49, the two tracks having therebetween any suitable balls orrollers 55. Preferably, the hopper, box or pan 4'! is continuouslyrotated during use. It may be driven by any suitable motordiagrammatically indicated at 48a, through the gear reduction GM, thepinion 50 and the gear 5!, the latter being mounted on the bottom of thehopper, box or pan 41. Thus the hopper, box or pan 4! is continuallyrotated and the material fed thereto, by the belt 40, is rotated anddistributed and is prevented from concentrating at the point of itsdelivery from the conveyor 40.

52 indicates an upper turntable member which rotates in surroundingtracks 53 provided with suitable balls or rollers 54. 55 is a top framestructure or platform which may be rotated with the turntable 52 and isindependent of the rotation of the hopper, box or pan 41. Although thehopper, box or pan 41 rotates during the use of the device, the platform55 may be positioned at any desire-d position for the purposes whichwill later appear. The platform 55 is shown as carrying a motor 56.

51 indicates a generally vertically extending frame structure carryingupper sprockets 58 and lower sprockets 59, about which passes theendless belt or chain conveyor 60, which carries buckets 61. Thesprockets 53 may be mounted on the shaft which, in turn, is driven byany suitable belt or connection 56 from the motor 56. It will be notedthat a deflecting scraper 6'! is mounted on the lower portion of theframe 51 and causes an accumulation of material in response to rotationof the hopper, box or pan 4'! at a proper position to be picked up bythe buckets 6|, when the hopper, box or pan 4! is rotated in thedirection of the arrow shown in Figure 3.

Any suitable feed receiving means may be provided for the upper end ofthe elevator. I illustrate a receiving spout 70 into which the buckets6i deliver the material. The material so delivered passes to the endlessconveyor H, on the boom 12, the endless conveyor bein driven, forexample, by a chain 73 passing around a sprocket 74 on the countershaftT5 of the boom 12 and passing, at its other end, about the sprocket 16on the shaft 65 at the upper end of the elevator frame 51. i

The boom 12 may be suitably supported. from any suitable upwardlyextending structure or mast 89 on the rotatably adjustable platform 55,its end being controlled, for example, by the cable 8! passing around apulley 82 at the upper end of the mast and extending under an actuatingor hoist drum 33 of the mast 83. The drum 83 may be actuated manually orotherwise to adjust the boom at any desired height.

It will be understood that the boom, with the platform 55, may berotated about a vertical axis or may be located at various positionsabout the vertical axis of the turntable 53 without interfering with thenormal delivery of material from the belt or conveyor 4i: to the hopper,box or pan d? and its removal from the hopper, box or pan t? by thebuckets 59.

It will be realized that, whereas, I have described and illustrated apractical and operative device, nevertheless many changes may be made inthe size, shape, number and disposition of parts without departing fromthe spirit of my invention. I therefore wish my description and drawingsto be taken as in a broad sense illustrative or diagrammatic, ratherthan as limiting me to my specific disclosure.

The use and operation of my invention are as follows:

In the form of my invention as herein shown, I may deliver ballast to becleaned to a suitable screening assembly. It is desirable to eliminatefines from the ballast and to return to the rightof-way the ballastparticles or pieces of proper size.

In the structure herein shown, it will be understood that any suitablescreening assembly A separates the undersize from the oversize anddelivers the undersize or fines to the endless conveyor 9. The oversizemay be returned directly to the right-oi-way by any suitable equipmentor attachments not herein shown. The undersize is delivered by theendless conveyor i9 to the rotating hopper, box or pan 4?.

The rotation of the hopper, box or pan ll causes the material toaccumulate against the scraper 5?. The scraper G7, which is mounted onthe elevator frame 5?, is always located at the proper position toaccumulate material to be picked up by the buckets 6!. The belt 69 ispreferably driven at sufficient speed so that the material is deliveredlaterally at the top of the elevator at sufficient velocity to travel toand'be received upon the spout Ill, which delivers it to the receivingend of the discharge conveyor H.

By rotation of the platform 55 about the vertical axis of the turntable52, the boom 12 may be set to deliver the undersize at any desired pointor area. It may be delivered to another car for disposal or it may bewasted to the side of the right-of-way. As a matter of convenience,

I illustrate the motor 58 as mounted on the platform 55 and as drivingboth the elevating belt or conveyor 60 and the disposal conveyor H. Anysuitable means may be employed for rotating the platform 55 to anydesired position of adjustment.

It will be understood that the turntable structure 52 may be rotatablyadjusted to any desired angle. When the screen car is being conveyedfrom place to place along the tracks, it is advantageous to have theparts in the position in which they are shown in Figures 1 and 2, withthe conveyor boom 12 aligned with the axis or center of the car.However, it can be swung for use over either side of the right-of-way orover an adjacent car to the rear.

I claim:

1. In a feed and elevating assembly, a pan and means for rotating itabout a generally upright axis, a conveyor adapted to deliver materialto the interior of the pan, a turntable assembly mounted for rotationaladjustment generally coaxially with the pan, a frame positioned on saidturntable assembly, an endless bucket conveyor on said frame and meansfor driving it, said bucket conveyor having buckets extending into thepan in the course of their movement, and a laterally extending dischargeconveyor adjustable in unison with said turntable assembly and adaptedto receive material from said bucket conveyor.

2. The structure of claim 1, characterized by and including a boom onsaid turntable assembly on which said discharge conveyor is supported.

3. The structure of claim 1, characterized by and including a motormounted on said turntable assembly and driving connections between saidmotor and said bucket conveyor and discharge conveyor.

4. The structure of claim 1, characterized by and including a scraperextending into said pan and mounted on said frame.

5. In a feed and elevating assembly, a pan and means for rotating itgenerally continuously about a generally upright axis, a scraper in saidpan, adapted to concentrate, at a predetermined area of concentration,material fed to the pan, and a bucket elevator including a bucket chainhaving buckets positioned to pass through said area or" concentration,said bucket elevator being adjustable about a generally upright axis,said scraper being mounted for adjustment within said pan when theelevator is adjusted.

6. The structure of claim 5, characterized by and including a turntableassembly on which said bucket elevator is mounted, and from which itdepends, and a boom on said turntable assembly positioned and adapted toreceive the discharge from the upper end of said bucket conveyor.

HENRY H. TALBOYS.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file ofthis patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 755,681 Long Mar. 29, 19041,528,474 French Mar. 3, 1925 1,613,420 Warr Jan. 4, 1927 2,194,144 GillMar. 19, 1940

